Articles written by Patrick Julius - Page 4

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About me - Patrick Julius

I am a sophomore undergraduate at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. I am of undecided major, but currently considering cognitive science, medical ethics, and secondary education.

I am the author of two books, one self-published and the other currently

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Politics, News & Issues > Terrorism Will ordinary Muslims rejection of extremists hasten the end of terrorism?: 12 of 22
No, for two reasons. The first is that it simply won't happen: moderate Muslim clerics in positions of power are exceedingly rare in the world today, and most Muslim leaders are absolutely convinced that the fatwa against Salman Rushdie and the riots in response to the Danish cartoons were both perfectly legitimate. That is,... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Atheists and the question of morality: 11 of 20
Richard Dillio already put most of this matter quite well: morality based on fear is not morality at all, and so what's genuinely good will be good intrinsically, and not based on fear. But there is one thing I would like to add, which is a proof that morality *cannot* come from God, because God cannot simultaneously be good... More..
Religion & Spirituality > New Age Therapies Crystal healing: Does it work?: 12 of 21
Let's suppose, for sake of argument, that crystal healing works. How might that be? By what mechanism could simply sitting in the vicinity of a particular mineral improve your health? Are there waves projecting out of the mineral? Are chemicals released into the air? Is physical contact with your skin necessary? Ingestion? W... More..
Pets & Animals > Animal Rights & Issues Is it morally wrong to use mice or dogs in medical research?: 28 of 48
This is a qualified "No"; I would rather say it is not ALWAYS morally wrong to use mice or dogs in medical research. Mice and dogs, like other intelligent, higher mammals (we ought to include at least cats and pigs, and of course monkeys, apes, and cetaceans) are sentient, feeling beings; they experience emotion, they form r... More..
Sciences > Anthropology (Other) What a Caesar cipher really is: 3 of 5
The Caesar cipher is remarkably simple, yet remarkably effective: It assigns letters to other letters by a certain shift through the alphabet, decided by a codeword. For example, the codeword "CODE" would shift the first letter forward 3 (for C), the second letter 15 (for O), the third 4, and the fourth 5. By convention the ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Catholicism The virgin birth: Myth or reality: 14 of 23
Parthenogenesis: virgin birth, birth without a father. This is apparently what it is asserted happened to Jesus. Let's consider that hypothesis for a moment: are there any life-forms in the history of the Earth that give birth without fathers? Sure. They are mostly bacteria. Some of them are lizards. None of them are mammals... More..
Relationships & Family > Gay & Lesbian Issues Should gays and lesbians be allowed civil unions but not marriage?: 22 of 36
"Separate but equal." I thought we were already done with that ludicrous principle in Brown v. Board of Education. "They can have the same rights, so long as they don't come near us or expect us to actually *treat* them the same." NO. Civil unions would be a great improvement from what currently exists, but they would not be... More..
Computers & Technology > Hardware (Other) How to build your own computer: 15 of 24
It's something of a rite of passage in computer geek circles: your first computer built from scratch. It's much cheaper than buying a retail system, it's relatively quick and easy to do, and above all it allows for limitless customization. To make the job easier, I've laid out a few basic steps, which can be supplemented wit... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ethics A dialogue on abortion: 51 of 79
I have a proposal on abortion that compromises between the two major positions (and thus will probably be agreed to by no one, yet nonetheless would much better represent the overall opinion of the United States), one that is meant to respect both human life and human autonomy. The proposal is this: 1. Contraception of all f... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Beliefs & Culture Who is Jesus and what does he mean to us: 27 of 41
Jesus is a hypothetical person, who may or may not have existed a couple thousand years ago, and had lots of ancient legends lumped on top of him because people liked him and decided he was very important. He is no more meaningful to us today than the emperor Augustus is meaningful to us today: as a historical figure, who sh... More..